A Doorway into the Past
by YOSI17
Summary: Aquila is Draco and Hermione's youngest child. During her first year at Hogwarts she finds a room that makes her travel to the past where her parents are finishing their 7th year at Hogwarts after the war. Only her parents are nothing like the parents she knows. These two hate each other. Can she help young Draco and Hermione fall in love and learn more about her family's past.
1. First Day Jitters

Aquila sat at the edge of her neatly made bed and stared at the hideous grey uniform hanging from a hanger above her bedroom door.

"I refuse to wear such impractical clothing." She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest and let herself fall back on the bed. With her eleventh birthday fast approaching in a couple of weeks, this was the year she was set to start Hogwarts just like her grandparents, parents, and older brothers had before her.

Starring up at her ceiling she though about leaving the comfort of her home. She had spent her entire life surrounded by family and friends that loved her, or at least tolerated her. She was used to morning breakfast with her grandparents where she would engage in very intricate and intellectual conversations about magic with her grandfather. Her afternoons were spent reading whatever she could get her hands on or practicing her broom riding skills with her father. She loved routines and everything inside the lines. Not a fan of change, and this was a big change.

On the bright side, she thought, she wouldn't have to miss her brothers anymore. Being the youngest Malfoy child, she had always been sad when summer came to end because it meant her brothers would be leaving her soon. When they were home, everything was a competition and she enjoyed having someone to challenge her. She was the smartest, everyone in the house knew that. She was just like her mother after all. At least on the brain department. Her looks and attitude, she had often heard, resembled her father.

With a big sigh she sat up from bed and looked at herself in her vanity mirror. There was no mistaking the Malfoy name with that white blond hair that sat straight and reached the bottom of her shoulders. She had her mother's big brown eyes, something her father liked to remind her whenever she begged him for something. She knew he could not say no to her. No one really told her no to many things. She wasn't allowed to read certain books, do any wand magic before she started school, and no dessert before dinner. Although, she could count on her grandfather to sneak her some of her favorite sweets here and there.

Aquila grabbed her toy ferret that her uncle Ron had gotten her when she was younger, and she looked at his little black plastic eyes. Her father didn't like the ugly thing, but she had been told she would cry when it was taken away, so he let her keep it. "Do I have to go?" she asked, like the little toy would suddenly solve all her problems and say no. She had already read all the books she would be required to study from at Hogwarts this year so she was obviously much more advanced than everyone else and this year would just be a pointless waste of time where she was forced to socialize with other kids who didn't know the difference between a toad and a frog.

"Aquila, are you ready honey? We are all waiting for you downstairs. We are going to be late to the train station," her mom gently knocked on the door and slowly opened it to see Aquila sitting on her bed holding her favorite toy in her hand. "Why aren't you dressed yet?" her mother asked when she noticed her daughter was still wearing her preferred choice of clothing wich usually consisted of muggle t-shirts and pants. Her mom grabbed her uniform and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I don't think I want to go. Can I just stay here, and you can teach me everything?" Aquila told her mom with a small pout.

"You know that's not possible" She chuckled. "It's okay to be nervous your first year but you are going to love it. There is still much to learn that you cannot learn from books," she motioned to the stack of books on her dresser. "Plus, you will have your brothers there with you."

"Everyone I know is older than me. And what if I don't get placed on Slytherin or Gryffindor? I am going to be all alone."

"Only one way to find out," her mother pushed the uniform towards her, and Aquila eyed the thing with a scowl on her face. "Come on your grandparents want to see you off before we head to the station."

With an exasperated sigh she yanked the uniform away from her mother and headed to her adjacent bathroom to change.

"I will take your stuff downstairs while you change," she saw her daughter's toy on the bed and quietly packed it inside her trunk before she headed downstairs.

"Hermione here let me help you with that," Draco called to her as she was coming down the stairs. "So, where is she?" he asked taking one look behind her and noticing his daughter was not coming yet.

"First day jitters, she will be down soon," she laughed and kissed him on the cheek. Everyone waited patiently when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Everyone's heads turned to look at Aquila in her new uniform. She suddenly felt a blush come to her cheeks when she realized everyone was staring at her. She felt like her shirt and tie were choking her and looked down at the plain grey skirt with disdain. "Why can't I wear pants? This skirt is hardly practical. I don't understand why girls like to wear these things."

"Well little sister you finally look like a girl!" Leo said and Hermione smacked the back of his head. Leo was older than her by 2 years and he would be starting his third year at Hogwarts. He was the only Malfoy to be sorted into Gryffindor. No one had been surprised when he did. He was the perfect likeness to their mom after all. With his head full of short brown curls and brown eyes, his looks complimented his ability to get into trouble wherever he went. He possessed all the traits of a Gryffindor. Aquila loved playing dares with him because she knew he would never back down from anything even if this got them in trouble often. He was also the jokester of the family and Aquila's favorite, but she would never admit it. She enjoyed their constant bickering too much.

"Shut up Leo! You wouldn't know what a girl looks like, you are too stupid for any to come near you." Aquila yelled at him from the stairs and she could hear everyone try to hold their laughs.

"I think she loves lovely!" Narcissa said as she helped her come down the rest of the stairs. Her grandmother had always made it known how happy she was that there was another girl in the family and always tried to persuade her to go do lady things out in town, but she always refused saying they were a waste of time.

"I think the skirt s a little too short." Lucius said with a quizzical eye. At that Draco stiffened remembering how convenient skirts had been during his years at Hogwarts. He suddenly agreed with Aquila and wished she could wear pants instead. Hermione could almost read her thoughts and she squeezed his hand to stop him from saying anything. Hermione knew any more comments about the skirt and Aquila would go running upstairs to change.

"Oh honey! You are going to do great. Don't listen to them, you look beautiful and we can't wait to hear where you are sorted into." Narcissa hugged her granddaughter close and Aquila hugged her back. She was going to miss her grandma and the way she always tried to get her to dress better and all her bickering about being a lady.

"She's going to be in Slytherin. That has been obvious since the day she was born." Draco and Hermione rolled their eyes, but they laughed at how far Lucius had gotten since they first told Draco's parents they were getting married. If anyone had opposed to their relationship it had been him. Unable to do anything about it, he had learned to put up with it over the years. Once the grandkids had started coming, he had completely forgotten about his previous prejudices and fully embraced his role as a grandfather much to everyone's surprise.

"I'm really going to miss you grandpa," Aquila hugged his waist not being able to reach any higher than that and closed her eyes realizing she might cry. No one was going to sneak her sweets in the middle of the night, and no one was going to teach her chess like he did. She though back on all the times she had sat in her grandfather's lap and listen to his endless talks about magic. Lucius clenched his jaw and tried to look the all mighty Malfoy he was, but everyone could see he was having a hard time letting go of his favorite grandchild.

"Don't worry grandfather I will keep an eye on her," Canis finally spoke up with a hint of smile on his face. Canis was Aquila's oldest brother starting his sixth year at Hogwarts. With his long white blond hair tied back on the nape of his neck and gray eyes, there was no mistake he was the leader of the Malfoy siblings. His job over the years had been to keep his younger siblings out of trouble and make his parents and grandparents proud.

Aquila reluctantly let go of Lucius's waist and they both turned to look at Canis. "You better boy. This is the most priced procession of the Malfoy household so make me proud. All of you go there and make me proud," Lucius said as he looked at each of the boys. With that, he left the room and Narcissa gave Aquila and the boys one last smile before she followed him out.

Aquila turned to look at each of her brothers. Canis smiled at her. That friendly big brother smile he always gave her when she wanted to know everything was going to be okay. Her twin brothers, Orion and Crux nodded their head at her in approval. They weren't much for words, she had learned throughout the years. Only one year younger than Canis, they all shared the signature Malfoy hair with grey eyes like their father. Aquila knew although quiet, they were cunning and resourceful. Everything would be all right. She would be sorted into Slytherin and she would have her brothers there. She would not be alone.

"Come on Aquila stop being such a baby and let's hurry up before we are late," she heard Leo whining impatiently. It was highly unlikely she would join Leo and the Potters and Weasleys at Gryffindor because she had not an ounce of bravery in her. But even if she did then she would have friends that understood her and didn't mind her constant unsolicited chatter that most seemed to hate. She reminded herself she was not alone once again.

"What's the Rush? Did you forget your little brain at Hogwarts? Because that would explain your incompetence this summer," she said as she took one last look at her house and stood up straight. With her chin held high, she walked over to her parents and held their hands. "I am ready."

They smiled at her and the Malfoy family made their way to the 9 ¾ platform.

A/N:

I debated with myself to write this down because I am not the greatest writer out there and I wasn't sure if people would even like this story. If anything, I am writing it so I can read it since I couldn't find anything similar. Next chapter is Hermione and Draco on their 7th year after the war. This story will often alternate between the past and the future with Aquila, so I hope it doesn't get confusing. Will try to post the next chapter soon.


	2. Change is Good

**September 3, 1999**

The war was over. It had been over for the last couple of months. Everyone was trying to regain some normality in their lives. The last year had been chaotic for everyone. Hogwarts was making all students retake the last year.

Hermione sat next to the window of a cabin on the Hogwarts express. None of her friends were there yet. Resting her head on the palm of her hand, she looked out the window. She was thinking about all the students that would not be returning to Hogwarts that year. Most of them were dead. They had died in the battle of Hogwarts fighting for both light and darkness. Nothing would ever be the same, she thought looking down at her left arm currently covered by the sleeve of her sweater. She knew what was under that sleeve. The mark that would ensure she never forgot the horrors she had endured during the war.

She heard the door to the cabin slide open and in walked Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione's eyes went to Ginny's and Harry's linked hands as they set down across from her. She was happy for her friends. Happy that they had found happiness in such a dark time. They were what everyone could hope to find once in their lifetime.

Ron stood there awkwardly not sure where to sit. They had agreed to end their relationship soon after the battle of Hogwarts much to everyone's disappointment. Maybe Hermione had just been in love with the idea of being with someone not too worried if that person was her best friend or not. It wasn't working out; they didn't share anything in common that didn't have anything to do with Harry Potter and a fight against darkness. They both agreed to end it and they should go back to being friends. However, now everything they did in their near proximity was awkward. Their friends were now forced to witness them, mostly Ron if she was honest, try to thread carefully around each other. Hermione didn't care much. She realized there were bigger things going on in the world than her sorry excuse of a teenage romance. She just wished Ron could get over it soon.

"Sit down Ron. I'm not going to push you away." Hermione said and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Right. Yeah. I'll sit down." He scratched his head and sat down not sure where to look. Harry and Ginny shared a look after noticing their friends' awkward attitude.

"Did you guys hear Malfoy is back this year?" Harry said trying to change the mood in the cabin. At that all 3 pairs of eyes turned to look at him in shock.

"No way! How can they allow him back after everything his family did!?" Ron could not believe what Harry was saying. He could never stomach Draco Malfoy even before he became a Death Eater. The fact he had helped Voldemort only helped his hatred grow stronger.

"His parents are on house arrest with no magic allowed. And I heard he will be monitored by the ministry." Harry responded.

"Dumbledore always believed there was some good in him. I am in no way defending him, but he did try to look the other way when we were at Malfoy manor and he was asked to identify us," Hermione said, "Maybe he is trying to do the right thing without his family breathing down his back for once."

"He will always be a coward." Ron said and sank down in his seat not wanting to waste any more breath on any conversation involving a Malfoy.

"I am looking forward to a year with no adventures, fights, danger, and or unexpected appearances." Hermione said and continued looking out the window. She just wanted to finish her last year at Hogwarts and drown herself with studying, so she didn't have to think about anything else. Not to mention she was Gryffindor's prefect this year so that will help keep herself busy at nights doing her rounds. She had a melancholic look on her face as she continued to look out the window for the rest of the trip.

Her friends looked at her worriedly. They knew she was not the same Hermione. None of them were the same people they were before the war. Hermione did not smile or laugh how she used too, she didn't chastise them about everything they did like she used too. Harry and Ginny had found solace in each other and together it was easier to forget about the war and move on. Ron with his carefree attitude was better at hiding how he felt. But Hermione was having the hardest time trying to adjust back to normal after everything she had gone through.

The rest of their friends joined them later, but Hermione could not get herself to join them in their conversations.

Draco sat in the last cabin of the Hogwarts express alone. He was fully aware of the looks of disgust he got from some of the other students. He sighed and closed his eyes as he let his head fall back on the seat. He was apprehensive on coming back this year and he had almost decided not to. But with his parents contained to their house complaining about their lack of magic, he had wanted to escape them, and this was his best bet.

McGonagall had been hard to convince for obvious reasons but after he met with her personally, they came to an agreement. He could come back, but he would be a prefect and would help guide the younger students in the right path. In other words, she wanted him to keep young Slytherins in check to avoid any retaliations. She wanted to make him the perfect example of how someone who had gone astray could repent and find his way by giving him extra responsibilities. Her idea worked because as soon as news got out that he would be back, many Slytherin students who were not sure could even return had stepped forward to return to school.

It was a win situation for both. McGonagall got someone to keep her Slytherins in check and he got away from his parents constant bickering. He rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming from all this unnecessary over thinking.

The door to the cabin slid open and Blaise walked in. Draco looked up to see his friend sit opposite of him.

"Didn't think you would be coming back." Blaise told Draco

"I dint think I would want to be back," he responded and looked away. He wasn't sure what to tell his friend knowing his father was rotting away in Azkaban while Draco had come here to get away from his.

"Neither did I. I heard you are the new prefect for Slytherin. Didn't take you for an overachiever."

"Don't remind me. That was the deal I struck with McGonagall to be allowed back. I guess she wants me to prove myself in some way while also making me an example." Draco said with a hint of annoyance.

"Change is good. I think this is just what we need right now." Blaise said.

Soon the Hogwarts express came to a halt and the students poured out of the train. This year there was an extremely small amount of first year students who would join the previous first year students for this year at Hogwarts. Hermione wondered if the small amount of new first year students was due to parents not wanting to send their children to school yet or if there had been a great number of casualties in young children. The thought made her shudder.

She flung her wand toward herself and her clothes turned into her uniform. The familiarity of her old uniform made her feel better. It almost felt normal to be back. As she made way to join her friends in a carriage, she caught sight of a head of white blond hair. Upon the sight, her hand instinctively reached for her scarred arm. He would be a constant reminder of what had happened. She hoped she wouldn't have to see much of him this year.

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! A shorter chapter but I felt this was a good place to end it. Plus I am almost done with chapter 3 where we will go back to Aquila. I find it easier to write about her since you cant really mess up your own characters. I hope this chapter was okay. **


	3. She Can Handle the Truth

**September 3, 2018**

Aquila watched from afar as each of her brothers said their goodbyes to her parents before they made their way to the Hogwarts express. The train had never seemed so intimidating to her. This was the sixth time she stood there only this time she would be going on it instead of going back home with her parents.

"I will be there to see the first Slytherin Quidditch game of the season," she heard her dad tell her brothers. Leo was the only one that didn't play Quidditch. Apparently, he had inherited their mother's flying skills which left much to be desired.

Draco patted his oldest son Canis on the shoulder as he walked away and watched him head towards the train. He then turned to Orion and Crux and hugged them both. Aquila noticed their faces full of embarrassment and a slight blush coming to their cheeks at being hugged in public like that. There were no words exchanged but there didn't need to be. Her brothers and her father had a weird sort of communication that didn't call for many words. They all worked better when they let their actions speak for themselves. Draco let them go and they quickly scrambled away before their mother was done chastising Leo and got a hold of them. Orion turned to look at his dad one last time before he boarded the train and gave his dad a small nod of mutual understanding. Aquila saw the exchange but didn't know what it meant.

On the other side, her mom was still telling Leo to stop getting himself into trouble and to study for his exams. "Yes mom. Can I go now?" He started walking away but quickly came back and gave both Draco and Hermione a hug. "I love you. See you for Winter break." He let go of them and called. "Come on sis! The train is going to leave without you," he called to Aquila before he boarded the train. Her parents watched her brother board the plane before they turned to look at her.

Aquila let out a big breath she didn't know she was holding as her father held her shoulders from behind and her mother held her hands. Her stomach was in a knot and she couldn't help the small tears that ran down her cheeks. "I'm scared. What if no one likes me?" Hermione shared a look with Draco then they both knelt to her level. Aquila had to admit to herself she feared what people would think of her. She was known for speaking without thinking and not everyone liked her brutal honesty. She couldn't help it. That was just the type of person she was.

"You are special and unique and whoever doesn't like you doesn't know what they are missing out on," her mother told her. Aquila pondered on that for a minute.

"And if they don't then you can punch them," her dad told her which earned him a scowl and a punch from her mother, but it also earned him a small smile from Aquila. Growing up with four brothers had taught her to throw a nice punch. However, she was certain her mother would not approve of any fighting at school

"No don't punch anyone. Just be yourself." Hermione gave her one last big hug. Aquila took a moment to relish the hug. Her mother gave the best hugs full of warmth and safety. She didn't ever want to let go.

Draco reached into his pant's pocket and took out a small silver chain with a silver circular pendant. "Here I got you this," Aquila reached for the pendant and upon touching it she felt her fathers magic at the tip of her fingertips. It felt like home. Like if he was holding her hand. She smiled up at him letting him know she could feel it. She looked closer at it and read _Malfoy _was engraved on one side. "So, you don't miss me too much." He winked at her. She looked at his gray eyes, the same grey eyes as her brothers, and she knew she was going to miss seeing his face every day.

"Great you are making me look bad I didn't get her anything," her mom threw a mocking dirty look at her father but then smiled when she saw Aquila's fears were washing away with her father's parting gifts. Draco fastened the small chain on his Daughters neck and hugged her one last time. He kissed the top of her head and Hermione looked as her husband said his goodbyes to their youngest daughter, the last one they would be sending off to Hogwarts for her first year. How time had flown she thought. 19 years ago, if someone told her she was going to marry Malfoy and give him 5 children she would have hexed the person for even suggesting such a thing. Her memories of her seventh year after the war were a little blurry, she couldn't remember how exactly Draco and she went from hating each other to loving each other. She recalled many late-night talks and Draco going out of his way to try to gain her acceptance. It did not matter. What mattered was that she gave him a chance and now they were about to see all five of their children head off to Hogwarts.

They heard the train give a final warning before taking off and Aquila detached herself from her parents. "I love you," she said and ran away from them without looking back afraid that if she did, she wouldn't be able to board the train. She took her first steps inside the train and saw Leo waving her down the aisle of cabins to where her brothers were waiting for her. She walked to the window and waved one last time at her parents as the Hogwarts express started moving. She was still standing by the window and she dried her tears with the sleeve of her robe.

Crux finally pulled her down towards the seat in between him and Canis. Leo and Orion were sitting opposite from them. She put her head down on her eldest brother's arm and sat there trying not to cry again. Crux patted her head and gave her a small encouraging smile, but it didn't cheer her up. She wondered who her grandfather was going to play muggle board games with now that she was gone.

"Aquila cheer up! You are going to love it there. The food is really good," not even Leo's loud voice was making her feel better.

"Can I get you guys anything?" A woman with a cart full of candy and sweets was standing at the door. Orion held up his hand for her to wait and stood up to buy some things. Aquila couldn't see what he was buying. She could hear the cart rolling away and Orion walked over to her and offered her a box of her favorite candies. She sat up and tried to turn her frown into a smile. "You can do better than that Aquila, big smile in return for a box of gummy worms," he kept looking at her expectantly as he dangled the box of candy in front of her, and maybe it was the fact that she didn't hear him talk like that often or the fact that she was really craving some candy but she laughed and grabbed the box from him as she sat up straight and filled her mouth with gummy worms.

Orion retook his spot by the window and smirked satisfied with himself. The mood in the cabin lightened up after that and soon Aquila was bickering with Leo once again.

"I bet you will correct at least one professor after the second day of class," Leo threw at her.

"Well if they can be corrected by a ten-year old then maybe they shouldn't be teaching. If this school is as great as they say, then the least they can do is get competent professors." Aquila chewed on her gummy worms as her brothers chuckled.

"Hey how come I need to wear this stupid uniform right now and you guys get to wear normal clothes?" She pointed at herself then at them with narrowed eyes to point out the unfairness of the situation.

Leo smirked at her as he took out his wand. "Because we can do this," he pointed the wand at himself and suddenly his clothes were replaced by a Gryffindor uniform. It was not fair she was not allowed to do wand magic at home. If she was allowed, then she would definitely know how to do that and much more. She had her wand on the inside pocket of her robe but no idea how to use it yet.

"Well your uniform is wrinkled anyways so you obviously can't even do that right," Aquila smirked. She was not going to let Leo have the last laugh.

"No, its not! Where is it? I can't see it," he looked all around himself looking for the non-existent wrinkle.

"It's right there," Orion pointed to Leo's chest and when Leo looked down Orion flicked his finger up to his face. Aquila let out a big laugh as Leo held his face in his hands. Orion and Crux smirked at each other. Canis had not said much since they left the house this morning. He was lost in thought.

He remembered his first time on the Hogwarts Express. He had been confident and composed. He was ready for whatever came next. His father had had an important talk with him before he boarded the train for the first time. A talk he was then entrusted to have with his younger siblings when they had started joining him.

As he looked at Aquila who was still laughing, he wondered if he should talk to her now or wait. She had finally forgot how nervous she was, and he didn't want to ruin that. He knew the sooner they talked to her the better but as he pondered whether to tell her now or not, he noticed Orion looking right at him. Orion gave his head a small shake. Signaling that right now was not the best time to break their little sister's happy view of the world.

"Aquila," Canis said in a serious tone. Aquila stopped laughing and looked up at her big brother. "there is something-,"

"Canis." Orion cut him off with a raised voice. "Not now." His tone was harsh and definitive but Canis knew it was better if he talked to her now than her finding out the hard way. Canis shook his head at Orion and continued.

"There is something you need to know." Canis turned to look at Aquila who looked confused. Crux was looking out the window with his arms crossed but intently listening to what he knew was coming. Leo looked away having heard this before when he had joined his brothers at Hogwarts the first time. It wasn't something he wanted to hear again.

Orion was shooting daggers at Canis with his eyes. They had finally gotten Aquila to lighten up and laugh and smile and Canis was going to get her scared again right before they reached Hogwarts.

"When we get to Hogwarts you may notice something," Canis began. Although this was the third time, he had this conversation with one of his siblings, it never got easier. "There are certain people at Hogwarts who do not find Malfoys to be good people. They might want to call you certain names. Bad names. If anyone tells you anything, I want you to come tell one of us right away and we will take care of it."

That was the easy way to put it. He couldn't well tell her that their family had a dark past as Death Eaters who had massacred people during the war and therefore certain families still held grudges against them. No, that was a talk for their parents to have with her. He remembered when he learnt the truth. It took him months to be able to look at his grandfather the same way gain. With the years, he became aware of his family's full regret on their partake of the war. He had learned to move on. If his mother, a member of the order, had forgiven his father and his family then he surely had no place to hold grudges on something that happened before he was born. Canis was a full believer of family above all. Others held grudges. It wasn't common to hear any nasty comments about the families of Death Eaters on Slytherin. Canis always made sure to put a stop to it right away and many of them were related to former Death Eaters themselves so it was not difficult. He was able to control what Slytherin students said aloud around the halls. Leo, on the other hand, had had previous difficulty being a Malfoy on Gryffindor but being best friends with the Potters and the Weasleys kept him safe from any harsh judgement by others. He wanted to make sure Aquila didn't have to hear others talking behind her back and not know why.

Aquila had a look of pure confusion on her face as she looked up at her brother her brows furrowed in concentration. "Why would anyone not like us? The Malfoys are a great family." She had that look on her face she gets when her grandpa gives her a question and she can't come up with an answer.

"There are some things that happened during the war-," Canis continued.

"Canis that's enough for today stop!" Aquila had never heard Orion raise his voice like that nor had she heard any of her siblings shut Canis up like that before. He was the oldest and therefore he was to be respected as such. She wanted to know what Canis was going to say about the war. She wasn't allowed to read much about it, and no one answered any questions she had about it, not even her grandfather who usually loved spending hours on end talking with her about anything she wanted. He would always say to ask her father who would then get a weird look on his face and say another time.

"We are almost there," Crux mentioned and changed the subject.

Canis sighed and took out his wand to change into his Slytherin uniform. Aquila noticed Orion and Crux doing the same. As Aquila looked at all four of her brothers with their house uniforms, she looked down at her own plain one and wondered how she would look in Slytherin colors.

The train came to a stop and Aquila felt nervous all over again. She followed her brothers out of the train. It was overwhelming seining so many students wearing different colored uniforms.

"Goodluck sis! See you in the sorting ceremony!" Leo waved at her as he ran to meet up with his Gryffindor friends. She gulped down her nerves and looked around not sure where to go. She tried hiding behind Canis in hope no one would notice her, and she could just make her way straight to Slytherin without the sorting hat. Canis had to basically pry her off his robes so he could kneel to her eye level. "Everything will be all right Aquila. The hat will not put you anywhere it doesn't think you will fit in. We are all rooting for you."

She saw a big tall guy with a black beard herding all the first-year students into boats. It was then that she realized she had to go on a boat with a bunch of kids she did not know. Canis pushed her towards that direction and she started walking but looking back at her brothers every couple steps, hoping her brothers would suddenly tell her she doesn't have to go there. Unfortunately, they only smiled encouraging smiles motioning her to keep walking until she made her way to the stupid boats.

"Orion. She will find out eventually whether we are the ones who tell her or someone else does," Canis said as soon as Aquila was out of earshot.

"She will be safe of any judgement in Slytherin. I want to spare her the details for as long as I can," Orion said as they watched Aquila make her way to the boats.

"What if she doesn't go to Slytherin?" Canis shook his head at Orion.

"Not possible. Can you picture her in Gryffindor?"

No, he couldn't. Everyone knew Aquila was clever and intelligent but not brave. She was competitive but she drew the line when it came down to doing things she had never done before.

"You can't spare her forever. She's smart, she can handle the truth. It won't change the way she views her family." Canis made his way to the carriage and Orion and Crux followed him.

**A/N: Double whammy for tonight! Hope you enjoy and review while i get the next one ready**


	4. Fine Have it Your Way

**September 3, 1999**

At the great hall, everyone sat as the sorting hat sorted the small group of new students into their respective houses. Everyone noted the emptiness in the Slytherin table. Many of its oldest students hadn't bothered to return to Hogwarts unsure how they would be treated, or they had perished during the battle of Hogwarts. Among the missing were Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe. There were no new students sorted in Slytherin when the sorting ceremony ended. That was the first time a house received no new members but who could blame the new kids for not wanting to be associated with former Death Eaters. It was a shame the great Slytherin house now had such a horrible reputation.

Hermione quietly ate some of her food as her friends held normal conversations around her. No one in her friend group noticed the emptiness of the Slytherin table but her. Maybe she was the only one who was reminded of the war everywhere she looked. She could not be fooled by everyone's efforts to pretend everything was back to normal. She could feel the gloomy atmosphere of students everywhere she went.

"I can't wait for Quidditch tryouts to start!" Ginny loudly exclaimed. "I feel ready to get some exercise in."

"I heard first years will now be allowed to try out for their house teams," Ron said with his mouth full of food. "There seems to be more spots open than usual and McGonagall said from now on all years would be allowed to at least try out. Can you believe that? Little kids pretending to know what they are doing out there. They are just going to get on everyone's way." He shook his head in disapproval.

"You forget Harry made the team during his first year, right? Give the little suckers some credit. There might be one or two good ones around there." Ginny said straining her neck to look around the tables as if her star player would light up for her and lead the Gryffindor team to victory. Harry only laughed at that. He really had nothing against First Years trying out. Everyone could use a little something to look forward too.

"Yeah but Harry was a natural. That doesn't happen every year." Ron said and rolled his eyes. "What do you think Hermione?" He asked her, noticing she was spaced out pushing her food around her plate with a fork absentmindedly. She hadn't really said much since they got off the train earlier that evening. Her friends were worried about her.

"Oh yeah sure Quidditch. Great." She snapped out and looked at her friends realizing she hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. Embarrassed she looked at her friends' worried looks and she stood up from the table abruptly ready to leave. "I'm going to head out to the prefects meeting with McGonagall. I'll see you guys later in the common room." She said and quickly made her way to McGonagall's office.

Her friends were left a little speechless. They wanted to help her, but they weren't sure how. Harry patted Ginny's hand when he saw the sad look on her face. Hermione was Ginny's closest girl friend and while she had Harry to keep her monsters away, she knew Hermione was struggling internally with everything that had transpired in the war. Ron looked away not wanting to make eye contact with Harry. He felt a sense of guilt not being able to be the one who Hermione could entrust with her feelings. They had tried it and it proved to be more harmful than beneficial when they realized they couldn't be there for each other emotionally and romantically like they had hoped they could. Now he was just frustrated they couldn't all just go back exactly to how things were before. He sighed and continued eating while Harry kept trying to comfort Ginny in front of him.

When Hermione went inside the office, the first thing she noticed was Draco Malfoy standing on the side of the room with his arms crossed looking bored. Her eyes met his for a brief second, and he quickly looked away. She was able to register what appeared to be guilt on his face upon seeing her, before he quickly adopted that bored look again. She looked away trying to hide her discomfort from being in the same room as Draco Malfoy. McGonagall surely couldn't have named him a Prefect, right? She didn't want to spend anymore time in the same room as him that what was required in her classes.

"Miss Granger glad you could join us. We were just waiting for you". McGonagall motioned for her to come in and have a seat. She made sure to sit on the other side of the room as far away from Malfoy as possible. Hermione also noticed a dark haired Ravenclaw boy named Mike McNully and a blond Hufflepuff girl who's name she couldn't recall. She noticed McNully throwing cautious glances at Malfoy who seemed to be unbothered by it. It was to be expected no one enjoyed his company.

"Welcome prefects to this new year at Hogwarts. As you know, it is a difficult new year. I want to thank each of you for taking on this task after everything we have gone through. I have made some changes to the usual rotation schedules. As you all may well remember Gryffindor and Ravenclaw oversaw patrolling the top floors while Hufflepuff and Slytherin were responsible for the bottom floors." All four prefects were now interested on what she was going to say next. Hermione had a bad feeling about this. Especially with how McGonagall was looking directly at her as she spoke next. "This year Gryffindor will pair up with Slytherin to patrol the bottom floors leaving the top floors to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." Hermione almost jumped out of her seat in protest, but she held her cool. She stole a quick look at Malfoy who looked lost in thought but had no apparent emotions showing on his face. She swore she heard the Hufflepuff breath a sigh of relief. Hermione envied her. She would be forced to work alongside Malfoy everyday at night for the next months. This was not what she had in mind for her last year at Hogwarts. _Merlin kill me now, _she thought as she slumped back on her seat.

Draco was sure McGonagall was doing this to spice him. She could really care less who he was partnered with if it was anyone but her. He recalled the nightmares he still had about that night at Malfoy Manor. He knew what had happened was wrong and he had done nothing to stop it. Working everyday with Granger would just be a constant reminder of what a coward he was. Someone who never had any goals or ambitions of his own and just followed what others expected him to do because he was too afraid to do anything else. He could only wonder how she felt about these recent changes. Draco noticed Hermione absentmindedly rubbing the left sleeve of her sweater with her right hand and he quickly looked away before anyone saw the guilt he wore.

"I also wanted to discuss with you any ideas you might have to sort of lift morale and raise everyone's spirits. I have opened up Quidditch tryouts to all years to give something for everyone to look forward to, but I expect you all to come up with new ideas by next meeting." McGonagall looked at each student in the eyes taking a couple seconds longer on Malfoy and Hermione. "All right you may all head back to your common rooms before you start your rounds in a couple of hours. I wish you all a safe year back at Hogwarts."

Draco was the first one out of the room. The Ravenclaw boy and the Hufflepuff girl were out soon after. Hermione was about to head out when McGonagall stopped her. "Miss Granger, how are you doing? I notice you a little distracted?"

"I am doing all right, just tired from the train ride don't worry. Its noting." Hermione gave her a small fake smile.

"I wanted you to know I paired you off with Mr. Malfoy so you can keep a close eye on him. I trust he has good intentions upon his return to Hogwarts, but I figured you would be a much better option than any of the other prefects."

Hermione had nothing to say about that. She gave McGonagall a small nod of understanding slowly headed out her office. It was a little past 9pm and rounds started at 10pm. She was thinking about how Malfoy and she were going to address their rounds. Maybe they could each do half of their assigned floors and not have to share each other's company.

"Granger." Hermione turned her head towards the sound of her name and saw Malfoy waiting for her next to the grand staircase.

"Malfoy." She sneered at him. "I was thinking maybe I could do the 2nd and 3rd floors while you do the dungeons and 1st floor? That way we can spare each other any unwanted company." Hermione kept walking as she spoke.

"As much as that would make me happy, I can't do that. McGonagall would have my head if she knew I let you patrol by yourself. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm trying to be a model student here." Malfoy was keeping up behind her with annoyance. What he said was true though. Prefects patrolled in pairs for safety reasons and he didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him breaking any rules. Everyone was expecting him to do something atrocious while all he wanted was to get through this year much like everyone else.

"Fine have it your way Malfoy. I'll meet you outside the Slytherin common room at 10. Lets just try to get this over with as fast as possible. We both know we don't want to spend any unnecessary time together," Hermione said as she ascended the stairs that lead to the Gryffindor common room.

Draco nodded and walked back on his way to his common room. Merlin she was still as bossy as ever. Glad there was still some sense of normality around her in the way Granger could get under his skin so easily. Draco wouldn't admit it but it felt good to fight with Granger just like old times.

**A/N: I know its short but I wanted to get this up before my night class so I can have some reviews/follows/favs to look forward too. I have Aquila's next chapter about her sorting hat ceremony and her first night at Hogwarts pretty much ready but I'm not sure when I want to put it up yet. I was rereading last chapter and noticed a big typo/mistake if someone can find it then I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. I mean I'm sure there is more than one grammatical/spelling error, but I am looking for a specific error. Thank you to everyone that reviews/follows/favs this story! Makes me feel like I wasn't crazy when I came up with this idea.**


	5. Stepping Out of your Comfort Zone

**September 3, 2018**

Aquila looked at the small wooden boat with disapproval. The giant whose name she had learned was Hagrid, had told all the first-year students to hop onto a boat. Aquila looked at the boat and she was sure it was going to sink as soon as she out one foot inside it. She noticed there was already 6 kids on this boat, and she raised her hand to signal Hagrid she had a problem.

"Excuse me, based on the size of the boat and the average weight of an eleven-year-old, I assume the maximum capacity of these old boats is 4-5 kids per boat. The boat you have instructed me to use is over maximum capacity, so I refuse to hop in." She folded her arms and set her ground refusing to go anywhere without another boat. She hoped she was not sounding snotty. Leo always told her she sounded snotty when she threw facts at people like that.

Hagrid picked her up from the docks as she kicked and struggled "No, put me down you big man! I am not getting on those stupid boats. My father will hear about this!" He set her down on the boat with a big hearty laugh that reminded her of that white bearded guy muggles asked for presents on Christmas. She looked up at him from her seat on the boat with a scowl on her face and crossed arms.

"You must be a Malfoy then," Hagrid laughed. "I've had a couple of ya here the last coupl' years but none quit' as feisty as you since yer father."

Aquila noticed many heads snapping in her direction at the Malfoy name. She didn't know what he was laughing at, the situation was anything but funny. Each one of his big hearty laughs got her madder and madder. She could have sworn she heard the word brat thrown at her from somewhere in the boat, but it was too dark; she couldn't figure out where it came from. She wore her unapproachable scowl all the way till they reached the docks outside the castle. One kid tried talking to her about something stupid but with one look from her he scampered away. Looks like the boat held up afloat after all.

Another kid a head taller than hers bumped her shoulder hard as he tried to make his way to the front of the group. Aquila was about to give the black-haired boy a piece of her mind when she looked at the Hogwarts castle for the first time.

When she first laid eyes on Hogwarts, her scowl disappeared as she marveled the big castle. She had read about it extensively and seen many pictures, but she had never seen it in person like this. She thought about how easy it could be to get lost inside such a massive place and a shudder passed through her. She wondered if she was ever going to learn to love this place as home just like her brothers often mentioned they did.

They were all lead through some stairs lighted only by torches on the wall, until they reached an older guy with black hair dressed in black. He stopped them and introduced himself as Severus Snape. Aquila had heard about him. He was the potions professor and Head of Slytherin. His voice was detached and bored like he would rather be doing anything else instead of talking to them. Aquila remembered her parents talking about their old Professor and she immediately thought he must be like 1oo years old to still be teaching here.

"You will all be sorted into one of the four houses Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, "he continued talking. Aquila was getting exasperated with how slow he was talking. Plus, all this were things she already knew and hoped everyone else knew too because it was common sense.

"Yeah, yeah we already know all this can you speed this up. I'm getting kind of hungry here." She immediately regretted her little outburst when he looked directly at her. He eyed her down while everyone around her stepped away from her not wanting to be anywhere near the other end of Snape's calculating stare. Aquila shot him a challenging scowl herself.

"Miss Malfoy, I presume," again at the mention of her name she could feel the stares and hear the whispers around her peers. "I hope you are not a rule breaker like your brother or a know-it-all like your mother." He walked closer to her and Aquila fought the urge to step back. "What is the most crucial step in preparing a Draught of Living Dead potion?" Aquila noted the question was directed only at her.

"The root has to be completely powdered before it is added to the wormwood," she blurted out confidently more than glad to answer a question she knew the answer too since she learned to read.

"Know-it-all it is then," he said as he turned around and those around her laughed.

"My mother said if you keep your face all pinched up like that, its going to stay like that forever," Aquila challenged him with defiance. She heard a couple of gasps around her but kept her stare fixated on Snape's back.

"Your mother must not have taught you to respect your elders then. Its to be expected since she didn't either." Snape did not turn back to look at her and he just kept walking.

She felt her cheeks heat up and she looked down at the floor too embarrassed to say anything more. The truth was her mother would have grounded her for life if she even heard about Aquila talking like that to a Professor, no matter if he had called her a know-it-all.

"Follow me, and don't do anything to embarrass yourselves." Everyone followed him as he opened the big double doors into the Great Hall. Aquila looked up to the enchanted roof that looked like the night sky and the floating candles.

Her eyes moved towards the Slytherin table looking for her brothers and she immediately spotted their white blond heads and waved enthusiastically at them. They all smiled big at her and Canis gave her a thumbs up. She was able to walk more confidently after that and she waited patiently for her name to be called to the sorting hat. All the kids before her received applauses from their respective houses and she was anxious for it to be her turn and join her brothers in Slytherin.

"Arthur McNully," Snape read from a parchment and the boy who had bumped into Aquila a while back walked up the steps to sit and be sorted. Aquila was all about first impressions and as she recalled their previous encounter, she looked at his green eyes with scornful stare.

"RAVENCLAW." The boy was happy with the outcome and quickly made his way to the Ravenclaw table as they all cheered. Aquila saw an older boy give him a high five as he sat down, and everyone waited for the next name to be called.

There were many Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors and a couple Slytherins and Ravenclaws before her name was finally called.

"Aquila Malfoy." Maybe it was her imagination, but the room seemed to have grown quiet with anticipation. She took one big breath and made her way to the stand one step at a time. She sat down on the chair and Snape placed the hat on her head.

"Mmm another Malfoy. The last one of your kind went to Gryffindor. But you are not a Gryffindor. Not at all," Aquila could hear the hat talking on top her head. She kept thinking Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin. "You want Slytherin. I see. You certainly possess the qualities of a Slytherin. But I see more. Yes, you would not thrive there. Such a sharp mind. The mind of an inventor and a creator. No, Slytherin would not challenge your abilities. I see great potential for you somewhere else." At this Aquila began to panic. She wanted to go with her brothers. She wanted to make her Grandfather proud. She wanted Slytherin.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The room was quiet.

Why was no one cheering for her? She was frozen there on the chair unable to move. What should she do? She couldn't move. She was going to be alone. She was not prepared for this. She could feel everyone starring at her waiting for her to walk to her table.

Orion had a look of pure disbelief written across his face. No one had stopped to consider Aquila could be sorted into Ravenclaw. It made sence now that he realized it. Aquila had been gifted with intellect and wit. Next to him Crux slowly shook his head but said nothing. Orion noticed the way Aquila just stayed there frozen to her seat. Everyone watched her and then the whispering started. He couldn't take it any longer. Wasn't anyone going help her? She looked so scared. When Orion saw a small tear run down her pale face, he couldn't take it anymore. He was halfway up from his seat when he saw Canis rush to the front of the room to help their sister come down from the stand. Crux motioned him to sit down and Orion looked on worriedly as Canis talked to Aquila.

Aquila looked up at the Slytherin table and everyone was looking at her. She noticed Orion standing up from the table but Canis quickly made his way to the front of the room where he picked up his sister from the chair and carried her away from the looking eyes and closer to the Ravenclaw table. Once she was out of the chair, the next name was called, and the attention was drawn away from her.

"Hey it's okay, it's okay." Canis hugged her and she tried her hardest not to let any more stay tears fall.

"I don't know anyone in Ravenclaw," she said. Her voice muffled by her brother's chest.

"You will make friends. It's good, you are stepping out of your comfort zone. The hat knows what it's doing."

"I don't want to step out of my comfort zone. I hate that stupid hat," she said angrily as she pulled out of his embrace.

"Here let me help you with that," he said as he took out wand and with a simple wave of his wand, a Ravenclaw crest appeared on her uniform and her tie and robe adorned themselves with the famous blue and silver of Ravenclaw. She looked at the colors and didn't really know what to make of them.

"Go join your table, we can talk later," he gently pushed her in the direction of her table. "and don't forget what we talked about on the train." He made his way back to his seat and Aquila took a big breath before she walked to an empty seat at the Ravenclaw table.

Aquila sat in an empty seat next to all the new Ravenclaws. No one tried talking to her this time. The McNully kid looked at her like her mere presence was making him sick. She felt like no one wanted her in here. She wasn't as hungry anymore either. She turned her head to look at the Gryffindor table and saw Leo eating and joking with the Potters and Weasleys. She envied him at that moment. It had always been easy for him to make friends. She touched the pendant on her neck for comfort and she felt a little closer to home.

Professor McGonagall introduced herself as the Headmistress of Hogwarts.

"I would like to welcome you all to another year at Hogwarts. As per usual the forbidden forest is strictly forbidden. Don't wander out of your common room past curfew. I want to remind anyone Quidditch tryouts will be held in 3 weeks and our 9th annual Hogwarts Festival will be before Winter break. I hope all houses are taking the necessary preparations for it." McGonagall took pride in her words. "Also I want you all to welcome your new Professor against the dark arts, Mr. Michael McNully!" A middle-aged man with black hair and green eyes stood up from his seat in the Professors' table. "Mr. McNully is our former student and we are very glad that he has come back to teach at Hogwarts."

Aquila wasn't paying much attention to anything McGonagall was saying. She just wanted to go home.

After dinner they were led to the west tower fifth floor where a door with a knocker in the shape of an eagle awaited them. The eagle gave them a riddle. Aquila noticed how everyone huddled close to hear the riddle. Her interest suddenly spiked.

"What has hands but doesn't clap?" Everyone stopped to think. Aquila knew the answer it was fairly easy. The other students tried to collaborate to come up with the answer, but the eagle shaped knocker kept rejecting their answers.

"It's a clock," she blurted out.

"Correct." The door opened and other students praised her and patted her on the back. It felt good to be praised after everything that had happened in the sorting ceremony. As they walked into the big common room, Aquila's eyes went to the big stacks of books on the walls. Her eyes were wide with wonder. With so many books to read maybe Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad. The room had tall roofs enchanted to look like a constellation-filled night sky. Aquila had always loved stars. She sat in one of the couches and tried to name all the constellations she could see in her head.

"Okay curfew is at 10pm so no wandering out of the common room after hours or you will lose us points," some older girl mentioned. "Your belongings are already in your rooms. Girls to the right and boys to the left." She left the younger kids to look around the common room.

Aquila went over to skim some of the books. She noticed the McNully kid talking with an older Ravenclaw boy. They both looked at her and scoffed before making their way to the boys' dormitories. She made her way to her room. She would be sharing with three other girls whose names she still didn't know. She saw her belongings and opened her trunk. A smile escaped her lips when she saw what her mom had snuck in there. Her little stuffed ferret. She looked around and when she was sure none of the other girls were looking, she took it out of the trunk and held it close to her. The other girls were prepping for bed, but she went back to the common room with her ferret. She found she quite enjoyed starring at the constellations. She could make out the Orion constellation next to the Leo constellation. It made her think about her brothers.

Everyone had gone up to their rooms when she noticed the clock read sometime past 11pm. She couldn't sleep. She wondered if her brothers were still up in the Slytherin common room.

Against her better judgement, she decided to make her way out of the common room and try to find her way to the Slytherin dungeons. She was heading down some stairs when they suddenly shifted to another side of the castle. She walked along that empty and poorly lit hallway feeling scared. After many rights and left turns she decided she was never going to find her way to the dungeons and decided to make her way back to the Ravenclaw common room. She soon found out she couldn't find her way back. A small wave of panic overcame her with each turn she took. She held her ferret closer to her chest and try to conjure some of that Gryffindor bravery her brother had.

She heard footsteps coming and ran inside the first room she found scared that she would make her house loose points for being out past curfew.

The room was old and dusty. It was illuminated by the moonlight coming from the window. There were many old artifacts and old furniture around the room covered in spiderwebs. Holding her ferret closer to her, she approached an old clock. It was one of those big grandfather clocks. Curiosity drew her closer to the old clock. She got closer to it and blew some dust away from the clock. Once the dust cleared, she noticed it had a small turning dial for the date. It read September 3, 2018. It was today's date. She turned the dial in no specific direction just to see if it worked. The time on the clock seemed accurate enough as it read sometime past 11pm. She slid down the side of the clock and sat down in the floor next to it. She decided it was best to wait a couple minutes before she headed out in case someone was still out there.

As she rested her head back on the wall and hugged her little ferret close to her chest, all the events of today came crashing down on her and she felt tired. She didn't notice when she fell asleep and her head knocked the side of the big wooden clock sending the hands of the clock in a counterclockwise frenzy.

**A/N: Yes, Snape is alive because I like him, and he play a part in the story. Also no one found my mistake which was "Her parents watched her brother board the PLANE." I meant to write train obviously! Anyways, thankyou Ravenpuff03 for pointing out the other mistake! Maybe I will go back and fix those once I'm done with the story. **

**Which brings me to my second point: I have finished the outline and we are looking at around 40ish chapters some longer than the others. I have the next 2 almost ready but I don't know if I should post them as I finish them or set up a sort of schedule of twice a week?**

**REVIEW/FOLLOW/FAVE!**


	6. My Name is Aquila Malfoy

**September 3, 1999**

Hermione waited in the dungeons outside the Slytherin common room. It was 10pm and the hallways of Hogwarts were empty and quiet. She hoped Malfoy would hurry up so they could get this over with and she could go back to her room where she would probably toss and turn in bed for hours unable to fall asleep. The war had left her full of thoughts and nightmares that kept her up at night. Nightmares that took place in the Malfoy Manor and the battle of Hogwarts. She was sure spending her last hours each night before bed with Malfoy as company would only help her nightmares become worst.

"Where is he," Hermione sighed as she paced the hallway. It was 5 minutes past 10 and she hated impunctuality. Suddenly the door to the Slytherin common room came open and Draco stepped out and saw Hermione pacing.

"Couldn't wait to see me I presume," he said with his signature overconfident tone getting Hermione's attention.

"Malfoy, I said meet me here at 10 its 10:05. I don't know what McGonagall was thinking making you a prefect when you can't even follow directions," she spat at him.

"Relax Granger its just 5 minutes, as for McGonagall's choice well let's just say it's some sort of redemption for myself and the Slytherin house," Draco said as they started walking to start their rounds. Hermione followed him. She had no intention of continuing the conversation and just wanted to get through their rounds in silence.

They walked the dungeons sure to check rooms and corners were empty of anyone trying to sneak around at night. They made their way to the first floor where they spend most of the time checking classrooms.

Draco enjoyed the silence. Back at the manor his parents spent their free time complaining about the magic restrictions placed on them after the war. They were confined to the manor with no magic and nothing to do. Draco hoped they found something to do before he went back for Winter break. The Slytherin common room had not been much different with everyone talking about being back at Hogwarts and the war. He just wanted to lose himself in a task where he didn't have to think and didn't have to hear others. This was almost relaxing, and he almost forgot Granger was with him until they were done with the second floor and made their way to the third.

"Should we even check this floor? Isn't it forbidden?" He asked her. He had never been in this floor before.

"Exactly, its forbidden so we need to make sure there is no students wandering around," Draco noted the way she talked like it was the most obvious thing in the world and he was stupid for not knowing that. This was their last floor. It was close to midnight and they would both head back to their rooms as soon as they cleared this floor.

"I highly doubt there is any students in here on the first night Granger. Lets just call it a night," he challenged her.

"You Slytherins always want to take the easy way out of everything," she stopped and turned around to face him.

"Yeah, well you Gryffindors always go running where you aren't supposed too," he straightened his back challenging her to keep arguing. He noticed how much taller than her he was and how she was trying to stare him down. He had to admit she looked scary when she looked at him like that. He suddenly remembered how it felt to be punched by her and he took a small step back. "You check the rooms on the left, and I'll check the ones on the right," he sighed in defeat and walked over to the first room on the right.

Hermione felt a victorious smirk on her lips when Malfoy decided to follow her directions. She wasn't going to let Malfoy tell her what to do especially if this was meant to be an everyday type of thing. She continued inspecting the rooms on the right, most of which were filled with old junk and Hogwarts ghosts.

Hermione was on the second to last door of the hall when she heard something that sounded like the faint ticking of a clock, but it got louder and louder, loud enough for Malfoy to hear it from the other side of the hallway. He walked over to her and they shared a look before Hermione opened the door slowly with her wand at the ready.

'Lumos," Hermione's wand lit up. The room was dark and dusty. Everything was covered in dust or white sheets. They followed the ticking of the clock and Hermione gasped when her eyes landed on a small girl sleeping next to the clock. The loud ticking noise stopped.

Draco heard Hermione gasp and then his eyes followed her line of sight to see what looked like a young student asleep on the floor. He noted she must be a first year from her size.

"Should we wake her?" She whispered.

"What do you think Granger?" He rolled his eyes. Of course, they had to wake her. Then they would take points away from whatever house she was from and send her on her way back to her room. He walked over to the girl and knelt to get a closer look at her. He noticed the toy in her hand and pursed his lips in disgust wondering who thought a ferret was a great choice for a toy. Ever since that day in four year he couldn't stand to look at them. Something on the girl's chest caught the glint of Hermione's Lumos light and Draco couldn't help his curiosity.

He reached his hand to see what it was. He read the name _Malfoy _encrypted on the small circular pendant and as soon as his fingers touched the pendant he jumped back started and knocked over some boxes behind him.

"What is it?" Hermione asked surprised to see the pure look of shock on Malfoy's face. The girl stirred awake with all the noise. She blinked the sleep away from her eyes and looked at Malfoy.

"Crux, is that you? I want to go home." Draco didn't know anyone by that name. He just sat there looking at her. Who was this girl? Draco noticed her white blond hair for the first time. Her robes bore the Ravenclaw crest and colors. He didn't recall seeing any first years with that hair nor any girls sorted into Ravenclaw that year. Then there was the pendant it read _Malfoy_ and he felt his own magic laced on it as soon as his fingers touched it.

He finally stood up and took one step back standing next to Hermione who looked utterly confused with his abrupt actions. "Who are you?" He demanded.

The girl looked up. Her eyes moving from Draco to Hermione. She was confused. She looked down and shook her head.

"My name is Aquila Malfoy. You are my father," she narrowed her eyes at Draco mad that he wouldn't know who she was. Draco's eyebrows shot up as he was taken aback by her answer. Hermione's mouth hanged open unsure on what to say or what to do. Surely this kid was wrong she couldn't be his daughter.

**A/N: Its short but I had to end it here. The next chapter will be up shortly!**


	7. What's a Mudblood?

**September 3, 1999**

Aquila was dreaming about her family. She saw Crux ready to take her home after such a horrendous night at school. Then Crux turned into her father, but he looked different. His hair was shorter, and he had no wrinkles on his face. Her mother was there too, she looked the same as she always had. Aquila wanted to run up to hug them and then they would tell her she never had to go back to Hogwarts again.

"Who are you?" Her father's tone was harsh and demanding. He had never spoken to her like that before and why wouldn't he know who she was. This wasn't a regular dream. No, it was probably a nightmare one where her parents didn't remember her.

"My name is Aquila Malfoy. You are my father," the sound of her own voice startled her. This nightmare felt too real. She saw the look on her parents' face and she suddenly wanted to wake up. She closed her eyes trying to force herself to wake up. She opened them again, but she was still in the same place. She looked around the room and suddenly recalled hiding here. She must have fallen asleep. That didn't explain why her parents were here and why they couldn't remember her.

Aquila looked at her parents again, both speechless, and she noticed their robes for the first time. Her father bore the Slytherin crest she had so often seen in her brothers' robes and her Mother wore her Gryffindor prefect badge with pride. Aquila looked at their faces again and her eyes widened in realization. She turned her head to look at the clock she had fallen asleep next too

"Merlin what have I done!" She stood up and scampered away from the clock with her back was to the wall.

"Hey, are you okay?" her mother approached her. Aquila wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug her, but she knew what a terrible mistake it had been to tell her father who she was. She had read about time turners before and the golden rule was to not be seen and to not alter anything.

"Granger drop the act. I'm sure you and your idiot friends got a good laugh. I admit it was really believable but it's getting late, I don't have time for all this." Draco sounded bored now. Hermione turned to look at him. Did he really think she was behind all this? He couldn't possibly think she would go through all this trouble just to laugh at him.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do this!" Hermione told him.

"Yeah, well it wouldn't be the first time the Golden Trio tries to ridicule me." Aquila watched intently as her young parents argued.

"You have yourself to blame for that. If you hadn't been an ass, then maybe we could all have gotten along nicely."

"Highly doubt that." Draco snorted.

"Look don't try to blame this one on me. For all you know she could be your father's love child or something. She certainly looks like you." Hermione was almost yelling now. He was making her mad trying to blame everything wrong in his life on her and her friends.

"There is no such thing in Pureblood families. I don't know what you mudbl-," Draco stopped himself before he finished the insult. She had riled him up with her ridiculous suggestions.

"Say it Malfoy. Finish that sentence!" She dared him. Draco just rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Mudblood. That's what you were going to say. I am a Mudblood." Draco didn't know what to say. He didn't even know the meaning behind that word anymore.

"Mudblood?" Aquila chose that time to speak up. Both her parents turned to look at her. "What is a Mudblood? I have never heard that word before." Draco and Hermione could read the sincerity in her face.

Hermione tried to hide her surprise. This girl claiming to be a Malfoy had never heard the word Mudblood before. Now the joke was on her.

Draco sighed and rubbed his temples. This night was not going how he wanted it to go.

"Can you please just make whatever this is go away? You win all right." Draco started to make his way out of the room as he spoke. He didn't want to fight his way with insults. He really just wanted to do what he was told and finish his last year at Hogwarts like any other normal student.

"Malfoy, wait. The clock." Hermione pointed at the clock and Draco looked at it.

"What about it?" He asked.

Aquila was getting nervous. The more they knew, the worst it was going to be to fix this mess. She didn't want to give anything else away, but she was curious why her dad had called her mom a Mudblood. While she didn't know what that meant, she knew an insult when she heard one.

"The clock is a type of time turner," she walked over to it and slowly ran her fingers along its side. "This is where you turn it to change the date. It says September 3, 1999. She must have turned it and fallen asleep. When her head knocked on it, it activated it. I think she's telling the truth. She really is your daughter but not yet really."

Aquila took comfort in the way her mother talked. She loved it when she explained things. While others hated the way Hermione Granger could get technical and use such big words, Aquila found comfort in it. Aquila saw her dad looking at her. He was inspecting her, watching for any sign that could point to her not being his daughter.

"Okay, well how do we send it back?" He asked. Aquila opened her mouth in protest. She wasn't a thing he could just get rid of.

"Shouldn't we tell McGonagall about this? Knowing things like this can affect the timeline," she suggested.

"Absolutely not! You don't get it Granger. Everyone is just expecting me to fail. Anything that goes wrong here will be my fault by default." Hermione noticed the small hint of desperation in his voice. She almost felt bad for him, but she shook that thought away when she heard Aquila speaking.

"You didn't answer my question. What is a Mudblood?" Aquila spoke louder and more demanding. Hermione noticed the way the little girl challenged them with her stare.

"Well Malfoy since you seem to be the expert on the subject why don't you explain to your daughter what it is," Hermione couldn't help the amusement she felt at putting Malfoy in such a position.

Aquila looked at her young father straight in the eyes letting him know she was not going anywhere without an answer. She was almost expecting him to tell her another time, just like her dad back home did when she asked something he didn't want to answer.

Draco groaned frustrated with the situation. "A Mudblood is something Purebloods call wizards and witches of muggle parents because…." Draco found he couldn't finish that sentence. Surely this had not sounded as stupid as he sounded now when his father had first explained this to him. He had seen all sorts of blood spilled during the war and it had all looked the same to him. The idea that someone's blood was tainted with mud was idiotic to him now. Aquila waited for him to continue. She was utterly confused by this word and angry about it too.

"That makes no sense! Surely only and idiot would believe such nonsense as mud in blood! That is not even remotely possible!" She was going on a rant and Hermione couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips seeing Malfoy's daughter call him an idiot. "My mother has muggle parents and I have never heard anyone call her such a disgraceful name! I once saw you almost hex a guy just for looking at her a wrong way, I would hate to think what you would do if someone called her that. But here you are using such language." Aquila looked disgusted. In all her ranting she hadn't noticed the way Draco and Hermione had reacted to her previous statement.

"What? Why do you guys look so surprised?" Aquila furrowed her forehead unsure what had them looking like that.

"You are saying that Draco Malfoy married a muggle born witch?" Hermione couldn't even believe the words coming out of her mouth "Impossible."

Aquila realized her mistake and looked around the room trying to avoid any more questions.

"Don't look so surprised Granger, times change, people change." Draco said hoping his voice didn't betray how surprised he felt. Was that a bad thing? How had his parents reacted? Who was this girl's mom? Was this even real?

"Aquila who is your mother?" Hermione asked her full of intrigue. This girl was a symbol of hope for the future. Her innocence was evidence that there was a bright future ahead for the world. One where there was no prejudice based on who your parents were. Hermione had to admit it was sort of refreshing. All the students here at Hogwarts walked around with the events of the war hanging behind them, but this girl lived in a world where none of that mattered anymore. She suddenly wanted to ask her more questions, anything to hear what she could look forward too. Maybe she even knew her in the future. Highly unlike given Malfoy and her couldn't stand each other. Hermione didn't care what sort of consequences tonight could lead to.

Aquila shook her head. She didn't want to say anything more that she shouldn't, but she really wanted to talk to her mother like she often did back home.

"So, is this your first year at Hogwarts?" Hermione tried a different question.

"Yes, its my first night," sad thoughts flooded her mind when she remembered the sorting ceremony.

"Ravenclaw?" Draco pointed at her robe.

Aquila didn't say anything she just looked down hoping he wouldn't be disappointed in her.

Draco noticed the girl's inner turmoil. He wondered what his future-self thought about having a kid in Ravenclaw. He recalled how Slytherin had always been the only option for him. All Malfoys are destined to be Slytherins his father had said. How did Lucius feel about all this? Maybe he wasn't even alive. Draco didn't know how he would feel about that.

"You must be really smart to be in Ravenclaw then," Hermione tried to break Aquila away from her thoughts.

"My dad says I got it from my mom. I wanted to go to Slytherin with my brothers." Hermione's familiar voice had tricked her into getting too comfortable. Comfortable enough she had let it slip out. She covered her mouth with her hands scared she would keep slipping secrets about the future. But admitting that to her young mom had felt good. She wanted her to chase all her fears away like she always did.

"Brothers? There are more of you?" Hermione's voice was gentle and inviting. When Draco heard this, he didn't know if he should be happy, he had accomplished providing the Malfoy family with a male heir, or if he should be scared. He didn't even know if he wanted a kid much less multiple ones.

"Yes, I have four brothers," Aquila responded against her better judgement. She just wanted to keep talking to her mom so she could hear her voice.

"Wow. Looks like you and your wife got pretty busy Malfoy," Hermione teased Draco. He looked away trying to hide the blush that crept up his cheeks. That was too many kids. For a second he wondered if he married a Weasley but then quickly reassured himself when he remembered Aquila said her mother was a muggle born. He supposed he would take a muggle-born over a Weasley any day.

He sat and listened to Hermione ask Aquila questions about her favorite books and favorite subjects. The girl was smart, he would admit that. He wondered what sort of father he would be. He didn't have the best example growing up. He prayed to Merlin he was doing a better job than Lucius had.

"Granger," he didn't want to break up their conversation, but it really was getting late. The clock was really close to 2am. "She has to go back. She can't stay here. We will figure out how to fix all this tomorrow but its time for her to go." He tried not to notice the almost identical pout both girls gave him after he was done talking. He had broken up their little conversation.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" Aquila shyly asked. She missed her home, and this was the closest thing she would have for a while.

"Yes!"

"No!"

Aquila looked at them confused. Her mom had said yes, and her father had said no. They rarely disagreed on things at home, but here she had realized they didn't even like each other. That just gave her another reason to keep coming back. She had to make sure they stopped fighting so much. She had read how bad it could be to alter timelines, but she would figure something out another time. This was more important. She couldn't stand the thought of her parents being with anyone else than together and at the rate these two were going, they would never agree on anything.

"Granger she can't come back. I won't spend my nights stuck here babysitting you two," he scoffed. "Plus, we have to find a way to Obliviate this night altogether."

"You don't have to come here. You said so yourself, the third floor is forbidden so no students will come here. We can patrol the other floors together then I'll come here, and you can go back to your room. As for the Obliviate, I can do it for you and then I'll just figure something else for me later." Hermione knew she must be breaking a lot of rules to even suggest this, but she had not felt so at ease like she felt when she talked to this girl. She could really stop filling her mind with thoughts about the war.

"Whatever, just send her back already."

"What date was it when you came here?" She asked Aquila.

"It was late September 3, 2018." Draco tried not to make any math on his head. Better if he doesn't know when she was born.

Hermione walked over to the clock and turned the dial to September 4, 2018. She noted the time was past midnight and there was no way to move the hands of the clock. "It's important that you never go back to before you left originally. You want to avoid creating 2 of yourself in the same time. You will be back to the same night you left but the same amount of time you were here will have progressed over there. That's the best way to avoid any complications."

Aquila nodded ready to go back. "Wait. I remember I got lost. How do I get back to Ravenclaw tower?"

"Just take the staircase up 2 floors from here and walk to the end of the hallway towards the tower," Hermione explained. "It is really late so you shouldn't have any problems running into anyone."

Aquila took a big breath and stepped towards the clock ready to knock on it. "See you tomorrow?"

Hermione nodded and smiled. Draco didn't miss how he had not truly seen her smile until now. How bothersome, it would appear she had gotten attached to the little girl. They both saw Aquila knock on the wooden clock and in the blink of an eye she was gone replaced by the hands on the clock spinning fast counterclockwise.

"Well, that's what I get for spending time with a Gryffindor. You lot attract trouble like cats attract fleas," Hermione rolled her eyes. He was ready to leave the room.

"She forgot this," she picked up the stuffed toy ferret and examined it. Her mouth turned into a big grin when she made out what it was. "Wow, your future self must have a big sense of humor." She couldn't contain the laugh that was building in her chest and she broke out in laughter as she dangled the toy in his face.

"Hey give me that. I'm going to burn it!" Draco tried to take it away from her, but she playfully kept it away from his reach.

'Nope, I'm returning it to her tomorrow. I hope she doesn't miss it tonight," Hermione said with concern. They walked to the staircase where they would go their own ways. She turned to face him a serious look on her face and pointed her wand at him.

"Are you ready?" She asked him. It took Draco a couple of seconds to realize what she was talking about. He slowly lowered her wand with one finger and walked away on the opposite direction. Hermione was confused by this. She thought he wanted to forget about everything that had happened that night.

"Goodnight Granger see you tomorrow." He was curious how all this mess was going to play itself out.

**A/N: It really just takes one person to tell me to Update soon for me to post a new chapter. I guess I am easily persuaded lol. I love all your Reviews/Follows/Faves! I hope you are all enjoying this story as much as I am. I only have the outline of the next chapter done so your guess is as good as mine as to when I will get that finished and up. **


	8. Malfoy Princess

**September 4, 2018**

Aquila had managed to make it back to her room without running into anyone the night before. Her roommates were already fast asleep, and she had quickly changed into her pjs and got herself to bed. Sleep overcame her too quickly for her to really ponder about what had happened.

The following morning, she woke up early and ready to experience her first classes at Hogwarts. Two of her roommates were still sleeping, the others must have left for breakfast already. Aquila didn't know their names yet. She walked over to her trunk to gather her uniform so she could get ready.

She stood in front of the mirror in their room and stared at her reflection with a scowl. She hated the skirt. It rested just above her knees and it made her legs feel naked not to mention she didn't enjoy the breeze on her behind. How can other girls enjoy wearing these things? She walked over to her trunk again and dug her way to the bottom determined to find something. Her hands finally found what she was looking for and she pulled out an old pair of uniform pants that had belonged to Leo on his first year.

Aquila had taken them from his room when she was packing her things a couple of days ago. A victorious smirk made its way to her face as she held them up in front of her face. Surely no one would mind if she wore them. It was still a uniform after all. She tried them on and noticed how much bigger they were on her. Leo had been much taller than her when he first came to Hogwarts, and she could easily fit her hand on the waistband with all the extra space, but at least they seemed to stay in place for the most part. She resorted to folding the extra length of the pants around the ankles and decided that was as good as it was going to get. Much better than the stupid skirt, she thought.

She grabbed her bag with her books for the day's classes, most of which she had already read, and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was easy to find her way when all she had to do was follow the herd of students who all had the same destination in mind.

Aquila spotted her brothers waiting for her by the entrance to the Great Hall and she ran up to them.

"Hey, how was your first night? Did you stay up late having intellectual conversations with your housemates?" Canis asked her and ruffled her short hair.

"Something like that." Aquila remembered where she had spent most of her night but decided it was best to not mention it to her brothers. She didn't want them to know she had already messed up on her first night.

"Whoa! what are you wearing? Are those my pants?" Leo pointed out her choice of clothing that morning.

"I hate the stupid skirt." Aquila replied. Canis tried not to laugh at his sister's predicament while Crux and Orion simply shared a quick amused look.

"Aquila, McGonagall is growing to throw a fit when she sees you. She really is a stickler for rules, especially the dress code." Leo tried to convince his sister to change but she was having none of it. "Fine, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Try not to turn the whole school around today okay?" Canis said. He figured it was better to let Aquila figure out her way around the rules by herself. She had grown up sheltered by everyone around her and it was time for her to learn to fend for herself just a little. He just hoped she wasn't going to step too much out of line for the sake of everyone. "Well let's go inside. See you later Aquila, have fun on your first day and try not to correct too many Professors."

Her brothers all waved at her and made their way to their respective house tables. Aquila walked to the Ravenclaw table with as much confidence as she could and sat down next to some older Ravenclaws. She ate her breakfast silently before she made her way to her first class: Transfiguration with McGonagall.

Aquila made her way without getting too lost. When she walked inside, McGonagall was already there and her gaze immediately went to her.

"Miss Malfoy, what is that you are wearing?" She pointed a bony finger at her and all the students who were there turned to look at her too.

"It's the uniform," Aquila responded with a duh attitude. McGonagall was slightly taken aback by Aquila's choice of tone.

"I assume you read the dress code?" McGonagall walked closer to her.

"Yeah but have you noticed how impractical skirts are? You really want me to parade my ass around every time I have to bend down?" Aquila was not shy to let McGonagall hear what she thought about her dress code.

"I will not have you using such language in here! 10 points from Ravenclaw. I will let you keep the pants today, but I expect you in full uniform tomorrow. Now go have a seat." She was not expecting that choice of words from a young student. She turned around to head back to the front of the class leaving Aquila to look for an empty seat.

Aquila sat in the front of a class next to a curly haired Hufflepuff girl.

"Hello, my name is Maria." She stuck her hand out to her for a handshake. Aquila noticed how cheery she was. She shook her hand a little hesitantly at first but then both girls shared a friendly smile. This was the first student to introduce themselves to her and it made her forget about what had just happened with McGonagall. She chose to ignore the way some Ravenclaw kids looked at her for making them loose points first thing in the morning.

Right before class started, a Slytherin sat on the other side of Aquila and introduced himself as Josh Parkinson. McGonagall went on to explain how today they were going to learn how to change the color of objects. Although Aquila had read about Transfiguration before, she had never actually used her wand until now. Most students were able to pick up the spell quite easily and soon Aquila and her 2 new friends were laughing as they changed the color on each other's clothing, and hair. Maybe Hogwarts would not be as bad as she had imagined.

Her next class was charms with Professor Flitwick. Aquila was quite enjoying using her wand. She couldn't say she was the best student in class, but she was decent for a beginner. She was sitting in between Maria and Josh again. Josh was good with his wand, and it didn't take him many tries to learn how to do the Lumos charm they were trying to learn. Both him and Aquila tried their best to help Maria get the pronunciation and movement right until all three of them could cast a decent Lumos.

The three of them where walking to their next class, when they heard someone talking behind them.

"Look who it is? The Malfoy princess who lost us points this morning," Aquila turned around to see the Ravenclaw boy named Arthur who she was starting to realize had something against her. She didn't like his choice of a nickname for her. Aquila had never enjoyed being called princess, not even by her parents. She had read how stupid princesses were always waiting for someone else to come solve all their problems.

"Don't call me that," Aquila told him trying to simmer down her anger. He just smirked at her and made his way over bumping her shoulder again as he quickly made his way to class.

"What was that about?" Maria asked.

"I don't think he likes me, but I don't know why. I haven't done anything to him." Aquila watched the boy with narrowed eyes. Her brothers had told her before how they hated to get on her bad side because she could be scary. This boy was getting on her bad side.

Josh had watched the encounter and tried to stay out of the way. He had a slight idea what the other boy had against Aquila, but he didn't want to say anything. His parents had talked to him before about what it could mean for him and how others might not like him because he was related to a former Death Eater. They told him who he should stay close too and who he should avoid. Maybe Aquila didn't know this.

The trio made their way to their potions class and sat together again. Professor Snape oversaw this class. This was Aquila's favorite subject and she was quite advanced on her readings. She doubted anything they did here would be new to her

"Today we will be reading about the Wiggenweld Potion," Snape announced to the class. "I shall keep my expectations low with you lot."

"I have read the chapter on that like 5 times. Do you have anything better?" Aquila asked loud enough for him to hear. Maybe he could assign her something different.

Snape turned his gaze to the young Malfoy girl. "Perhaps you would like to teach this class instead then."

Aquila took that literally. "The Wiggenweld Potion is a powerful healing potion that can be used to heal injuries, or even reverse the effects of a Sleeping Draught," Aquila told the class.

"1o points from Ravenclaw." Snape said and a chorus of groans were heard around the class.

"What for!?" Aquila almost stood up from her seat. He had asked her to teach the class and she had merely done what he asked for.

"For reminding me about your know-it-all mother. Now shut up and stop interrupting me before I keep taking off points." Snape went on to continue teaching the class and Aquila let a defeated breath escape her lips. She didn't understand adults sometimes.

"Be extra careful with the Sloth Brains," Snape walked around the classroom as students worked on their potions.

"Yeah some students here don't have any brains to spare," Aquila whispered to Josh and Maria who tried not to laugh.

At the end of the class, Aquila was sure her potion was the best one in the class. There were some that she wouldn't even want to get near if someone asked her too.

"All your potions are pathetic." Snape told the class before they started cleaning up.

"My potion isn't pathetic! Its perfect." Aquila told the Professor.

"Perhaps you should be the Potion Master then," Snape told her with a sarcastic tone.

"Maybe I should. One day I am going to invent new potions and you will have to teach them in your class." Aquila looked at him with an overconfident smirk.

Snape looked at the girl, so much like her mother but also so much a Malfoy with all that overconfident attitude. He looked at her potion and even though he wouldn't admit it to her, he was sure one day she would.

"I expect this classroom spotless before you head out," he made his way to his office.

"Wow Aquila your potion does look good." Maria pointed out.

Aquila bottled it up and left it on Snape's desk just to prove her point. She helped her friends clean up their cauldrons before they made their way to lunch.

When they reached the entrance to the great hall, Aquila noticed that there were students from various houses sitting at the Ravenclaw table and the same applied to the other houses' tables.

"Why is everyone sitting all over the place?" Aquila asked her friends.

"Oh, you don't know. Everyone is encouraged to sit with other houses during lunch. Come on there is a spot open over there." Josh said and made his way to what once was the Gryffindor table. Aquila had not read about this in any of her Hogwarts books. Then again, they were old books. Maybe this was implemented not too long ago.

The three of them sat down. Maria was busy working on some homework and Josh was filling up his plate with various food items. Aquila reached for some grapes and decided she should write her parents to let them know she was sorted into Ravenclaw.

She was busy writing a letter when Leo, Luna Potter, and Hugo Weasley sat in front of her. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had 2 children. One was a fourth-year girl and the other was a boy the same age as Canis. They had all grown up together but when some had started leaving for Hogwarts, Aquila had stopped seeing them as often. Uncle Ron had one son. He was Leo's best friend since they were on the same year and the same house. Aquila recalled he wasn't really smart.

"Hey little sister! So how many points did you gain Ravenclaw today with that big brain of yours?" Leo asked as he filled his plate with food. Her brother was always hungry.

Aquila didn't want to admit she had lost her house points rather than gained any.

"She lost Ravenclaw 20 points today." Maria answered for her. Aquila looked away ashamed.

"It's okay Aquila it takes some getting used to," Luna reached for her hand to comfort her. Luna had been like an older sister to her when they used to spend time together. They both enjoyed picking on their brothers.

"I told you not to wear the pants," Leo told her matter-of-factly.

Aquila stuck her tongue out at him and continued writing her letter. Canis joined them later just to check up on Aquila.

"I heard you are having an interesting day." He told her. He noticed she was sitting between two first years and was happy she had made some friends. He recognized the Slytherin boy from his own house. "Are you writing to mother and father? Can you tell them to send me a new Quidditch robe, mine is too worn out?" He tried to peak at what she was writing but she covered her writing with her arm.

"Write them yourself, I'm not your personal messenger," She told him. He laughed and left the Great Hall after he grabbed a quick bite to eat. She finished telling her parents and grandparents about Ravenclaw and about her first classes and her 2 new friends. She decided to leave out the issue regarding themselves and the time turner clock in the 3rd floor. She also didn't want to tell her parents how she wanted to beat up Arthur McNully.

Her last class was History of Magic and she sat through class bored and trying not to fall asleep. They had some free time before they had to head to dinner, so she followed her new friends to the courtyard where they talked about their homes and what they liked. Aquila was glad she had made friends. She liked the way Maria was so honest and cheerful and the way Josh was so knowledgeable in charms and spells. She was sad when they had to go to dinner and separated to sit with their own houses this time.

Aquila found an empty spot where no one was sitting yet and made her way over. She just had to get through dinner then she could sneak to the 3rd floor where she could talk with her younger parents. She wondered what they had done that day back in their time. She was lost in thought when Arthur and his friends sat in front of her. She tried to ignore the way they kept whispering and laughing most likely at her.

Aquila reached over for the juice and when she was going to pour it in her glass something tipped the pitcher the wrong way and the front of her white uniform shirt was soaked with grape juice. She looked up to see Arthur and his friends laughing hard and pointing at her. She reached over the table and emptied the left-over contents of the pitcher over his head. She didn't wait to see how he would react, instead she left the table and made her way out of the Great Hall without eating dinner. She was sure others could see how she was dripping juice as she huffed and puffed angrily out of there. It was official, Arthur McNully was on her bad side.

She was going to head to Ravenclaw tower to change but then she remembered everyone was probably at dinner so no one would be patrolling the 3rd floor. It was kind of early, but she could just wait for her parents in the room. She found her way to the same room she had been on the previous night and turned the dial of the clock from 2018 to 1999. It was almost 10pm on September 4. She knocked once on the wooden clock and she was transported back to the same room only 19 years in the past.

It was dark but she was able to turn some old lamps on with her newly learned Lumos charm making the room much brighter. She sat and excitedly waited for her parents to show up so she could vent and tell them about her day including the stupid Arthur. She just wanted to hear their voices before she went to bed later that night. She had to be careful not to let any more secrets slip out. It was already bad enough she had told Draco he was her father; she didn't want to let it slip that Hermione was her mother especially with how much they couldn't stand one another.

**A/N: I'm supposed to be writing a Research Essay on the California Road Charge Pilot Program but after getting so many great reviews I couldn't help writing this instead. I hope you don't find this chapter boring and keep those Reviews/Follows/Faves coming! **


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